Welcome to my 'other blog' the one that explores my crafty side. I have been a maker of 'things' since childhood. By nature I'm creative. I still love to write, and you can click on this link to visit my blog: Hanging On My Word, which is where I indulge in the thought and word side. Although a teacher by profession, I don't offer tutorials. This is my showcase of projects I like to share. So pull aside the curtains and let's begin (I'm a bit theatrical too!).

Saturday, 23 June 2012

That’s me! A Crafty Old Bag! Nothing pleases me more than making something useful, decorative and aesthetically pleasing too, especially when the cost is minimal.

A kind friend was given this lovely piece of tapestry to sell at a charity sale, and, knowing my love of needlecraft, put it on one side and for a small donation it was mine. I was pleased for two reasons; one, the subject matter, a young woman sewing with her daughter leaning on her knee, which could have been me many moons ago; and two, someone else had done all the hard graft of stitching the canvas picture. It was in a sorry state in a dirty old frame and rather bashed about. I took it out of its scruffy frame and washed it carefully by hand in mild detergent, checking that the colours didn’t run, and when it was dry I pressed it on the reverse. I couldn’t get all the marks out left by the frame but that didn’t matter. It languished in tissue paper in a drawer, whist I thought what to do with it. I didn’t want to re-frame it as I already have so many pictures of my own cross-stitch work on the wall that I have to rotate them to give them all a showing.

Whilst sorting through the huge selection of shoppers and tote-bags hanging on the back of the store door I came across this strong canvas bag with a design printed on it - perfect! I covered the design with iron-on vilene and stitched the picture in place.

The result is a lovely new craft bag which will keep my current project clean whilst I tote it around the place. I love it, and when it hangs on the cupboard door in my sewing room it’s decorative too.

The tapestry is based on the Mary Cassatt painting, 'Young Mother Sewing’. Mary Stevenson Cassatt (1844-19260) was an American Impressionist painter and printmaker who often had ‘Mother and Child’ studies as her subjects. She never married, and had no children of her own, but spent time with her sister’s children. Many of her works depict the social and private lives of women and she was a strong supporter of women’s suffrage.

About Me

I am a retired primary school headteacher who moved to Lanzarote for the year-round sunshine, the amazing landscape and the slower pace of life (Mañana really means mañana here). I have been married for 40 years, have a son and daughter and 8 year-old twin grandchildren. I relish the time to do what I like at last; get up when I want to, go to bed when I want to. Of course there are things I miss about England: the song of the robin and blackbird in my garden and watching the blue-tits nesting, the theatre, the art galleries, the cathedrals, but I get my fix on the visits back to Blighty and travels further afield. This is my home now, in every sense.